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ELEVATQR. N0. 363,121 PatntedMay 17, 117887..

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No. 363,121. Patentedmay 17, 188% 1 w10 l f f 0' VWL... L 1 WT @Jalan WTali' g /Z 4' T Wgw@ liNiTnn STATES PnTnNT Ormea.

GOUVERNEUR M. DAVIS, OF XVATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRDTO CHARLES M. FABRIQUE, OF SAME PLACE.

I ELEVATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 363,121, dated May 17,1887.

Application filed September 13, 1886. Serial No. 213,383.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, GoUvERNEUR M. Davis, residing at Vaterbnry, in thecounty of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Elevators; and I do declare the following tobe a full, clear, and eXact description of the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in elevators, the object being toprovide simple and efficient means for guarding against accident inthem.

Vith these ends in View my invention consists in certain details-ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a View in front elevation ofan elevator em- Q'o bodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof.Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section on the line a a of the precedingfigure. Fig. 4 is a view in transverse section on the line b b of Fig.3. Fig. 5 is a detached view of a locking-head, the upper end of a gate,and seetions of the chain, such parts being shown in position for tying`up the latter. Fig. Gis a similar view with the parts in position forthe free action of the chain. Fig. 7 is aplan view 3o of the parts inthe postions in which they are shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 isabroken planview of the car, a-fioor, a gate, and a gate-lock, the latter beingunlocked. Fig. 9 is a view of such parts in vertical section. Fig. l0 isa broken V view showing a floor, a gate, and a gate-lock in frontelevation, the latter being locked; and Fig. 11 is a view thereof invertical seetion.

rI he well A, car B, gates C C, suspension-ca- 4o ble D, operating-chainE, and the operating mechanism F of the elevator may be of any approvedconstruction, the gates being vertically movable in grooved uprights CrG, and each being counterbalanced, so thatif left free to act it willdescend and close of its own gravity. This last feature is shown in Fig.1 of the drawings, in which the lower gate has a connection, H, and aweight, I, attached to the outer end thereof. Each gate is also providedo at its upper end, upon its inner face,with a me- (No model.)

tallic bearing-plate, J, as shown by Figs. 5, 6, and 7 of the drawings.

My improved locking-head consists, as herein shown, of a sphere, K,provided with a central perforation, L, through which one partof theoperating-chain passes, with an arm, M, having its outer end curved, andwith a shank, N, carrying a set-screw, O, and receiving a spindle, P,mounted so as to turn freely in a standard or plate, Q, and coupled withthe shank 6c, through the said set-screw. A stud, It, projecting fromthe well, is located in position to Isupport the arm in place forengagement by the gate. The said perforation L, as herein shown, iscylindrical and only large enough to permit a free movement of the.chain through it, so that a slight turning of the head will deflect-andgrip the chain, which practically has no lateral play in the opening.Heads so constructed are secured through their plates to one side of thewell and in position for the engagement of their arms by the tops of therespective gates, preferably when the same are at or near the limit oftheir upward movement. Then asa gate is lifted,this being dene by handand with slight effort, as it is nearly counterbalaneed, 1t engages withthe arm of the head next above it and turns the sphere thereof, as shownby Fig. 5 of the drawings, producing asharp deflection in theoperating-chain, which is there- S0 by locked or tied up, so that itcannot be moved for starting the ear up or down. In this adjustment ofparts the arm of the head bears against the plate J of the gate withsufficient force to overcome the gravity of the gate 8 5 and hold thesame in its elevated position, from which it is pushed or pulled down byhand against suoli friction to release the arm and permit the head to beturned back by the weight of the chain, which may then be moved 9othrough it freely for starting the car.

The function of the locking-head, it will be observed, is to virtuallylock the car, so that it cannot be started upor down until after thegate of the iioor at. which it was stopped has g5 been closed, and thiswith an obvious increase in safety in the operation of the elevator, andas each gate, and hence each iloor, has a locking or tying head, eachfloor has equal protection.

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`with a beveled head, Z, located at its forward end and with a stop, A',and being actuated kin its forward movement by a spiral spring,

B', and pressed back or retired for unlocking the gate by an arm, C',attached to the under face and to the corner of the car, which when itreaches the level of the door pushes back the spindle and unlocks thegate, which cannot be opened until the car reaches this position ofsa'fety. Each gate, and hence each oor,be ing provided with a gate-lock,as described, each floor has equal protection.

'Having described my improved elevator in detail, I will now set forththe mode of its operation. y

When a gate is closed, it cannot in the ordinary use of the elevator beunlocked, except by the engagement of the arm C', carried by the car B,with the beveled head Z of the horiizontal spindle V, located in thefloor, protected by the particular gate, such head andv spindle beingpushed inward, whereby the latch U, carried by the latter, is withdrawnfrom the hole T in the plate S, secure'd'to the lower end of the gate,which is then free to be raised by hand, and this, as has been said,requires but little effort, as the gate is nearly counterbalanced by itsweight I, as described. Then as the gate is raised its plate J engageswith the arm M of the locking-head K and ro tates the same, causing adefiection in the chain E, which is thus tied up. The friction andpressure developed between the gate and the said arm M operate tosustainthe gate in its open position against its tendency to close by reason ofits being heavier than its weight I. So long as the gate is open the armM will remain elevated, the head K rotated, the chain E tied up, and thecar BA from being moved, and so long as the car stands adjacent to thefloor of which the gatel is open no accident can of course occur. Tostart the car the cable must be untied.' This can be done only bypulling down the gate, which when so moved permits the arm M to bereturned to its -normal position and the head K to be turned back by theweight of the cable, which when deflected exerts a constant tendency tostraighten out, and hence to turn the head. Therefore the very act ofuntying the chain to start the car involves pulling down the gate, whichwill avoid accident, otherwise liable to occur by the removal of the carfrom its position adjacent to the floor. Then as the car is moved up ordown its arm C' breaks contact with the beveled head Z, which, with thespindle V, is then thrown forward by the spring B', and the latch Umoved into the hole J in the plate S, whereby the gate is locked in itsclosed position and remains so until the Canis brought adjacent to thedoor protected by it, and unlocks it again by pushing back the said headand spindle.

It will thus be seen that an elevator furnished with my improveddevices, making the starting of the car dependent upon closing thegates, and the opening of the gates upon the stoppage of the car in aposition of'safety, is provided with two safeguards of obvious valueagainst accident.

Having fully described iny invention, what I claim as new, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is- 4 1. In an elevator, the combination,with a car, of a chain or cable for operating the saine, a locking-headprovided with a fixed opening through which the chain or cable passes,the walls of such opening being adapted to grip the chain or cable whenthe opening is carried out of line with the same, and means for movingthe. head to deliect its opening from alignment with the chain or cable,substantially as setforth.

2. In an elevator, the combination, with a car, of a chain or cable foroperating the same and a locking-head provided with a fixed cylindricalopening through which thechainor cable passes, the walls of 'suchopening gripping the chain or cable when the opening is carried out ofline withthe same by a deflection of the head, substantially as setforth.

3. In an elevator, the combination, with a car, of a chain or cable foroperatin g the s anie, a locking-head for tying up such chain or cable,and a gate, the head being adapted to be operated by the gate,substantially as set forth.

4. In an elevator, the combination, with a car, of a chain or cable foroperating the same, a locking-head for tying up such chain or cable andprovided with an arm, and a gate engaging with the said arm to operatethe head, substantially as set forth.

i 5. In an elevator, the combination, with a car, of a chain or cablefor operating the sanie and a. lockiiig-liead for tying up such chain orcable, the said head being adapted to hold the gate in its openposition, substantially asset forth.

6. In an elevator, the combination, with a car, of a chain or cable foroperating the same, a locking-head for tying up such chain or cable, anda gate, the said head having an opening to receive the chain or cableand being provided with a shank, through which it is swiveled, and withan arm which isengaged by the gate, substantially as set fort-h.

7. In an elevator, the combination, with a gate and car, of a slidablespindle located in stationary frame-work and a latch carried by suchspindle and engaging with the gate to lock the saine, the spindle beingoperated in unlocking the gate by the car, substantially as set forth.

8.111 an elevator, the combination, with a gate and car, of a slidablespindle located in IIOV stationary framework, alatch carried by such andan automatic gate-1ock unlocked by the Spnd1e,aplate secured to the gateand adapted car, substantially asset forth.

to be engaged by the latch, and a locking- In testimony whereof I havesigned this spring for the spindle, which is operated in specificationin the-presence of two subscrib- 5 unlocking the gate by the car,substantially ing witnesses.

as set forth.

9. In an elevator, the combination, with a GOUVERNEUR M' DAVIS' ear, ofa chain or cable for operating the same, Witnesses: a looking-head fortying up such chain or F. CHILLINGWORTH,

1o cable, a gate adapted to operate such head, CHAS. L. SWAN, J1.

